Major’s Remarks:
1. Today, April 9th, signifies the first Municipal Administrative meeting after the Qingming Festival holiday. While significant projects like the "2024 Taiwan Lantern Festival" and the "RedBall Project" have received widespread acclaim and concluded successfully, the municipal administration must sustain its momentum. This entails such initiatives as firefly-viewing activities organized by the Tourism and Travel Bureau, as well as the promotion of COVID-19 vaccination and dengue fever prevention and control measures. Despite Tainan City ranking at the top among the six special municipalities in COVID-19 vaccination rates across all age groups and the entire population, it is imperative for all bureaus and departments to intensify promotion efforts. Additionally, stringent measures must be implemented to prevent and control dengue fever, ensuring that a recurrence of last year's epidemic situation is avoided.
2. Gender equality stands as a fundamental human right and a paramount policy objective of this government. In light of the societal concerns sparked by domestic gender equality incidents, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to a zero-tolerance stance against sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination. It is imperative that all relevant bureaus and departments, including the Education Bureau, Gender Equality Office, and Social Affairs Bureau, bolster efforts to promote gender equality awareness. Should an unfortunate incident arise, we urge these bureaus and offices to take action swiftly and efficiently to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice and facilitate the healing of psychological trauma endured by victims.
3. We express our gratitude to the Fire Department and the Search and Rescue Team for their exceptional performance during the relief efforts following the earthquake on April 3rd, showcasing the fruits of their routine training. Acting swiftly under the command of the National Fire Agency, they promptly arrived at the disaster scene and made a significant impact through their immediate response and rescue operations. Given the structural collapses observed in some buildings during the earthquake, we urge relevant bureaus and departments to intensify efforts to promote and guide disaster prevention measures. This includes such initiatives as renovating deteriorated old houses and conducting thorough earthquake-resistant inspections. Additionally, certain school buildings have exhibited structural issues due to the earthquake. It is imperative for the concerned bureaus and departments to conduct meticulous assessments of structural seismic resistance, followed by prompt reinforcement, or if necessary, demolition and reconstruction.
4. The Economic Development Bureau is tasked with reassessing the "2023 Tainan City Public Retail Market Building Seismic Capacity Reinforcement Project" to ascertain whether any specific cases within the project have been affected by the recent earthquake.
5. Following the suspected food poisoning incident in Baihe district within Tainan City, the Labor Bureau is urged to initiate labor inspections promptly. Additionally, the Public Health Bureau and the Economic Development Bureau are called upon to provide guidance to food businesses regarding participation in group and product insurance.
6. The Audit Division corrected the city’s final accounting last year. All bureaus and departments are requested to review whether improvements have been implemented.
Reports
1. The Labor Affairs Bureau presented a report on the "Coordination of Work Charity Groups in Renovating Homes for the Disadvantaged" (refer to written sources for details).
Resolution: Approved for reference filing.
Mayor’s Comments:
(1) The concept of work charity groups was initiated by President-Elect Lai, who currently serves as the Vice President, during his tenure as the Mayor of Tainan City. This spirit of compassion and altruism has persisted over time, spreading to other counties and cities, such as Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, and Chiayi County. Inspired by Tainan's example, several other counties and cities have emulated and established repair teams to provide similar assistance. These acts of kindness, as genuine extensions of compassion, are worthy of recognition.
(2) The work charity group originated in Tainan. Through collaboration with educational institutions, it not only directly benefits the recipients but also enables participants, such as volunteers, partners, and religious groups, to extend their kindness beyond borders. This initiative also raises awareness among citizens of this benevolent endeavor. We extend our gratitude to the Labor Bureau and other relevant bureaus and departments for their efforts.
(3) Relevant bureaus and departments, particularly the Labor Affairs Bureau and the Social Affairs Bureau, are urged to maintain collaboration and join forces with private welfare and charity groups to advance the spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy.
2. The Tourism and Travel Bureau delivered a report on the "2024 Meiling Firefly Viewing Season in Nanxi District, Tainan City" (refer to written sources for details).
Resolution: Approved for reference filing.
Mayor’s Comments:
(1) Fireflies serve as ecological indicators, and Tainan City's efforts in firefly restoration have yielded notably positive outcomes. This firefly-viewing season is integrated with the Tung Blossom Festival organized by the Hakka Affairs Council, exemplifying cross-bureau cooperation and showcasing effective collaboration between the city government and local administrations.
(2) This year, the city government integrated the "2024 Taiwan Lantern Festival" with the Taiwan International Orchid Show, World Orchid Conference, and Farmers Market. This integration not only enhanced the thematic appeal and options but also encouraged tourists to extend their stay. When planning future events, bureaus and departments should adopt this model, collaborating with other relevant entities and local governments to optimize tourism outcomes. We express gratitude to the Tourism and Travel Bureau and the Hakka Affairs Council for their dedication and efforts.